Columbine Survivor And State Legislator Proposes New Gun Bill

While survivors of the Parkland, Florida shooting speak out against gun violence, call for more gun control, and demand action from the president and members of Congress, another school shooting survivor is taking a different approach. This survivor also happens to be a state representative.

On April 20, 1999, Patrick Neville was a student at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. On that day, his life, the lives of his fellow students and their families, as well as lives across the country, would be changed forever. Two students entered the school grounds that morning to carry out a mass shooting. Twelve students and one teacher lost their lives. Now, Neville, almost 20 years later, is a state representative for Colorado’s 45th District.

Every year Rep. Neville introduces legislation that he believes will help prevent future tragedies like that at Columbine High School and Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida. His bill, if passed, would lessen gun restrictions in the state and allow firearms to be carried on campus.

Every year since 2014, when he joined the Colorado Legislature, Republican Rep. Patrick Neville, who was a sophomore at Columbine High School at the time of the 1999 mass shooting, has introduced legislation to eliminate restrictions on guns in schools in the state.

“Time and time again we point to the one common theme with mass shootings, they occur in gun-free zones,” Neville told the Washington Times.

Under Colorado state law, gun owners are permitted to bring their guns onto school property but must keep them locked in their cars. Neville’s bill would make it legal to carry concealed weapons inside schools.

Rep. Neville’s idea certainly stands in stark contrast to that of survivors of the Parkland shooting, gun control activists, and politicians on the left who are currently advocating for a ban on semi-automatic rifles and asking for universal background checks.

As Tom reported on Tuesday, a Colorado school district has decided to allow teachers to carry firearms on school grounds. The question is, will the entire state of Colorado follow the school districts lead? And, if Colorado were to pass statewide legislation on the matter, would other states across the nation consider doing the same?

While Rep. Neville’s bill proposal won’t completely solve the problem, it’s clear that he believes this is a good place to start. It’s good to see that he is not giving up.